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Ezurio ships the first Intelligent Version 2.0 Bluetooth Module for wireless integrators

Ezurio's new Serial Bluetooth Module offers lowest cost of ownership and fastest route for Version 2.0 features of Bluetooth wireless technology

London May 22, 2005 Ezurio Ltd, a management spin-out of TDK Systems Europe Ltd, today announced the availability of the next generation of their Intelligent Bluetooth Serial Modules, supporting the features of the new Bluetooth Version 2.0 specification. Ezurio's Bluetooth Modules have already found favour with many manufacturers because of their ease of integration and low overall cost of ownership, making them the Module of choice in medical, automotive and ePOS applications.

Ezurio's latest Intelligent Bluetooth Serial Module is based on Cambridge Silicon Radio's BC04 Bluetooth chipset and provides support for the features of Bluetooth Version 2.0. These include higher data rates over the air, lower power consumption, better rejection of interference and coexistence with Wi-Fi networks by implementing AFH (Adaptive Frequency Hopping), and improved voice quality from enhanced Synchronous Connections (eSCO).

The popularity of Ezurio's Intelligent Bluetooth Modules comes from the fact that they provide complete Bluetooth solutions, allowing customers to treat the wireless portion of their design as a drop in solution. The Module contains a full Bluetooth protocol stack within firmware, in addition to which Ezurio has implemented a comprehensive application interface layer inside the virtual machine of the BC04 chipset. This abstracts the complexity of Bluetooth to a set of simple AT commands, similar to a PSTN modem. Coupled with a standard UART (RS-232) interface, design integration is reduced from months to a matter of hours.

The Intelligent Bluetooth Module is shipped as a Class 1 radio, with an optimised RF front end, providing ranges in excess of 250 metres outdoors, compared to less than 100 metres of competing products. This makes it particularly attractive for equipment designers. The Module incorporates a high gain, ceramic patch antenna which is largely immune to RF detuning, allowing system designers extra flexibility in designing the Module into their packaging.

The Modules are fully Bluetooth approved as end products, saving time and money for integrators. They are also lead-free and comply with the RoHS (Restrictions of Hazardous Substances) directive for Electrical and Electronic Equipment.

To aid integration, a low cost development kit is available for designer who wants to integrate Bluetooth into their products. The new Intelligent Serial Module is designed as a pin-for-pin, drop-in replacement for Ezurio's current range of Bluetooth Modules, providing a simple upgrade route to existing users. "In the embedded arena, product lifetimes are significantly longer than in the consumer market" commented Chris Shannon - CEO of Ezurio Ltd. "Manufacturers are only going to adopt wireless technology if they know that they will have a stable platform across the years, insulated from the frenetic development trends of the PC and mobile phone market. Ezurio is committed to providing that guarantee of stability and backward compatibility that this market demands."

"Product designers across a wide variety of industry sectors are coming to the conclusion that Bluetooth is now a mature wireless technology and want to use it to cut the cables in their equipment. However, they realise that that integration normally needs specialist skills that they do not possess. We have opened up the market for integrated Bluetooth by taking that complexity away" said Nick Hunn, CTO of Ezurio Ltd". We are confirming their trust in Bluetooth and ourselves by providing an upgrade path that lets designers choose Bluetooth as their wireless connection, secure in the knowledge that they can take advantage of new features as Bluetooth evolves."

Availability
Engineering samples of Ezurio's Intelligent Bluetooth Serial Modules are now shipping with volume production available in June 2005.
For further information on the Intelligent Serial Module, please visit Ezurio's website at www.ezurio.com

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About Ezurio

Ezurio is a leading supplier of Bluetooth wireless solutions and has extensive experience of the mobile market. Ezurio offers complete Bluetooth Modules that provide instant, pre-approved wireless capability to a wide range of OEM customers. Ezurio's long involvement with Bluetooth has resulted in a range of products that are acknowledged as setting the standard for Bluetooth connectivity, with extended range, low power and lowest cost of ownership. With offices in London and mainland Europe the company is dedicated to providing a complete range of short range wireless solutions to the OEM and business sector. Ezurio is a management spin-out of TDK Systems Europe limited and is funded by 3i.

Website: http://www.ezurio.com